Nothing at All
by lovethyneighbor
Summary: Katniss' pride makes an untimely appearance. "I'm not your charity case, Peeta. So you can just take your perfect words and your perfect smile and your perfect cheese buns and shove them up your perfect—" Everlark. AU.


**Hi! This is my first Hunger Games fanfiction. I wrote it for Prompts in Panem. There are some awesome stories and fanart on there if you want to check it out (promptsinpanem on tumblr). (I am myalladin on tumblr btw :D)  
**

**Anyway... I hope that you enjoy it!**

**DISCLAIMER - I don't own The Hunger Games or its characters.**

* * *

**Prompts in Panem, Day Four – Pride**

**Title: Nothing at All**

**Summary: Katniss' pride makes an untimely appearance. AU. **

_I wonder what it would be like to run my hands through those perfect, blond curls as his lips press against mine and—_

"Who are you staring at, Katniss?"

Katniss snapped out of her reverie, a blush making its way up her cheeks, and looked over at her friend. "I'm not staring at anyone, Madge," she answered defensively. "Geez, can't a girl daydream in peace?"

"Sure," Madge replied. "If you tell me who you're daydreaming about." She punctuated her sentence with a particularly loud bite of her carrot stick.

Katniss scoffed. "I'm not daydreaming about anyone." Her eyes slid back over to where Peeta Mellark stood, however, and watched as he bent over to pick up a piece of trash that had fallen at his feet. _He should wear those jeans more often. _Her blush deepened.

Madge sent her a knowing look. "Don't worry," she said. "I daydream about that ass too. It's so perfect and round and firm and _perfect _and—"

Katniss dropped her spoon and it banged loudly against her bowl of tomato soup. "Okay, Madge, I get it!"

Madge laughed. "No need to yell, Katniss."

From his spot two tables over, Peeta had heard the commotion and looked over at where the two friends sat. He sent them a friendly smile and a wave.

Madge smiled brightly and waved back. She nudged Katniss, who was mortified. "Wave, Katniss. Don't be rude."

Katniss pretended to write furiously in her notebook. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she muttered.

She missed the way that Peeta's smile fell when she didn't return his greeting.

* * *

As Katniss made her way to her locker to get her things for her next class, she felt humiliated at what had transpired during lunch. Madge had made such a fool of her! Maybe she should rethink her sitting arrangements. She should go back to how she spent her lunch before, alone, where she could people watch in peace. She had thought that Madge was different, that she wasn't like all the other girls at school, concerned with trivial things like boys, but clearly she was wrong. Although maybe she wasn't much different from the rest of them herself. She _had_ been admiring the way that Peeta Mellark's backside looked in his jeans.

She sighed as arrived at her locker. She put in the combination and opened it, just like any other day, but was surprised when a folded piece of paper fluttered out of the tiny space and landed on the mundane gray and white tile of the hallway. She frowned and looked around for any people that might be waiting to humiliate her further, like Glimmer or Marvel. When she was satisfied that the coast was clear, she bent down and picked up the note.

_**Katniss,**_

_**Come by the bakery after school. I have something to give you.**_

_**Peeta**_

* * *

"This is a terrible idea," Katniss said as she stood across the street from Mellark's Bakery. "A terrible, terrible idea."

She had spent the rest of the school day in a haze, distracted by thoughts of Peeta Mellark and the note that he had left in her locker. If it wasn't for the fact that she sat behind Peeta in her English, she wouldn't have recognized his handwriting and would have convinced herself that it was a prank that one of the Neanderthals at school were playing on her. But she _had_ recognized his handwriting and she also knew that Peeta, although very charismatic and pretty much the most popular guy in school, was also the nicest guy in school, and that he would never play a cruel joke in her. So the note was sincere. And she had no idea what to make of it.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Prim.

**I hope you're not just standing there staring at the place. Go and see what he wants!**

Katniss couldn't help but laugh. Her sister knew her so well. She had told Prim about the note Peeta had left her during their walk home after school. She hadn't been planning on coming to the bakery, but Prim had convinced her to. She couldn't say no to Prim.

She crossed the street and took a deep breath before opening the door to the bakery and stepping inside.

It smelled _so _good that she almost passed out right then and there.

It was not a secret that she and her family were not that well off. After her father died, her mother disappeared into herself. It had been up to Katniss, an eleven-year old girl, to make sure that she and Prim were clothed and fed and made it to school every day. Slowly, her mother came back, but things had never been the same. Her mother had lost her job during the days where she could not get herself out of bed, and it was difficult for her to find another. She finally found one working at the small drugstore around the corner from their two-bedroom apartment, but it didn't pay much. Katniss tried to make sure that most of the food that they were able to afford went to Prim and as a consequence, she tended to go a little hungry sometimes.

"Hey Katniss."

Katniss looked up and saw Peeta standing behind the counter, an apron tied around his neck and flour in his hair. He had never looked cuter.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"I… um…" she pulled the crumpled note out of the pocket of her jeans. "I found this in my locker. You were the one who put it there." She frowned as doubt began to creep into her thoughts. "Right?"

Peeta laughed and wiped off his flour-covered hands on his apron. "Right you are," he told her. "I'll be right back, okay? Just grab a seat and make yourself at home."

Katniss watched him as he disappeared behind the doors to what she assumed was the kitchen. She sighed and followed his instructions, sitting down in one of the little tables by the window.

A couple minutes later, Peeta appeared in front of her, holding a tray with two steaming-hot cheese buns and a mug of hot chocolate. "For you, Madame," he said as he set the food in front of her.

She blushed as she looked up at him and the warm smile that he was giving her. Why was he doing this? She opened her mouth to ask, but then her stomach growled as the smell from the cheese buns got to her, and she dug in. She barely registered Peeta sitting down across from her as she ate.

"Mmmm," she let out a satisfied moan and if she hadn't been distracted by the incredible cheese buns, she would have been horrified. "Oh my g-d, Peeta, these are amazing."

Peeta smiled. "I'm glad you like them," he said. He laughed as she finished off the last bite and took a careful sip of her hot chocolate, testing the temperature so she wouldn't scald her mouth. "I made an entire batch. You can take the rest home with you if you'd like. And some iced cookies for Prim?"

For some reason, his questions made her angry. She set her mug down. "Actually, Peeta, I need to go," she told him as she stood up and pushed her chair in.

Peeta stood up as well. "Okay…" he said. "But you never answered my question. Do you want the cheese buns? I made them for you."

Katniss glared at him and Peeta was taken aback by her intensity. "No, I don't want any of your cheese buns! And can you be any creepier? I mean, you leave a creepy note in my locker saying that you have something for me and then you sit here and just watch me eat and then you offer to let me take home an entire batch of cheese buns that, creepily might I add, you made just for _me_!"

"I…"

"Are you trying to send me some type of subliminal message? Go ahead and just say it, Peeta. I know that my family is poor. I know that we don't have nearly enough food. I know you're a nice guy, Peeta, but I don't need you to feed me. I can take care of myself!"

Peeta was stunned.

Katniss knew that she was being irrational, but she was too embarrassed. Here she went again, making a complete fool of herself in front of Peeta Mellark. She must have looked like a caveman, stuffing her face with the greasy cheese buns, barely taking the time to breathe. She was surprised he hadn't run away screaming in terror.

And yeah, she was sick of everyone looking at her with pity. Pity that she lost her father at such a young age. Pity that her mother struggled with depression. Pity that she had to take care of Prim practically by herself. Pity that she didn't have enough to eat. Pity, pity, pity. She was sick it.

"I have to go," she said after a long pause and then hurriedly left the small bakery.

* * *

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad, Katniss," Madge said the next day at lunch.

"It was bad, Madge," Katniss told her.

Madge sent her a sad smile. "Well, if it makes you feel better, Peeta never seemed to me your type anyway. Maybe this is for the best."

It didn't. But Katniss didn't tell Madge that. "Maybe."

"Don't look now, but Peeta is walking in," Madge warned.

Katniss looked and of course, Peeta chose that moment to look over at her as well. A look that Katniss could not decipher came across his face and he turned away. That stung more than she would like to admit.

* * *

Katniss had been late to school that morning, her fifth tardy in the last month, so her first period teacher had given her an after-school detention. She had just gotten out and was walking down the empty halls, when she saw Peeta Mellark standing by the lockers and talking to one of his buddies on the wrestling team. _Great._

She kept her head down and tried to walk past them without him noticing, but failed.

"Katniss!"

She walked faster.

"Katniss, please. Slow down."

She whirled around on him. "I'm not your charity case, Peeta. So you can just take your perfect words and your perfect smile and your _perfect _cheese buns and shove them up your perfect—" _Oh g-d. _She pressed her lips together in a thin line and stared at the ugly tile floor harder than she had ever stared at anything in her life, willing it to swallow her whole. When he still hadn't said anything, she glanced up at him and saw him looking at her with an amused smirk on his face. She scowled. "What?"

"No, please, do finish what you were about to say."

Katniss' mouth dropped open and she blushed furiously. "You are an asshole, Peeta Mellark," she said and turned quickly on her heel to walk away before she embarrassed herself further.

"Katniss, wait!" she heard Peeta call after her and a few seconds later, felt his hand on her arm. She hated the fact that she missed its warmth after he let go.

"What do you want from me, Peeta?"

"I want…" he sighed and Katniss was surprised to see the blush in his cheeks. He started again. "Katniss, do you have any idea how long I've wanted you? Clearly you don't."

Katniss looked down. And clearly he was insane. "No one wants me, Peeta."

"I do," Peeta told her, and she was surprised at the conviction in his voice. "I want you, Katniss."

She looked up at him and was caught off guard by the look that he was giving her. It was a look that she felt all the way down to the tips of her toes. A look that she felt deep in her belly. No one had ever looked at her in that way before.

She was not quite sure how to handle it.

"You have no idea, do you?" Peeta continued after she didn't say anything. "The effect you can have."

The effect that she can have? Katniss was baffled. What did he mean? "Peeta, what are you—" Her words caught in her throat at the feel of his lips on hers. They were so… _soft. _He must use a lot of lip balm. She giggled a bit at that thought and then frowned. She hadn't giggled since… since her father died. She was suddenly hit with the memory of her father twirling her around, her giggles filling the air around them.

Peeta pulled away and looked at her, a crease between his brows. "Katniss, what's wrong?" he asked. "If I've overstepped my boundaries, just say so."

Katniss wanted to cry. It had been so long since someone had looked at her that way. Like they actually cared. Like they would do anything to protect her. She should have been annoyed, she can protect herself, but she could only feel a happiness taking root inside of her. He actually cared. For her. Katniss.

She shook her head. "Nothing, Peeta," she told him and moved back in for another kiss. Nothing at all.

**end.**


End file.
